U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, to kick off the Take Back Your Health Tour. The event took place on a cold and blustery day.

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A small group of protesters gathered on the Capitol steps, holding signs with messages such as “Science Matters,” “Vaccines Cause Adulthood,” and “Vaccines Matter.” One man stood at the top of the steps shouting remarks like “We believe in science,” voicing opposition to recent changes HHS has announced to the vaccine schedule and food pyramid.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has vehemently opposed the changes to the vaccine schedule and the revisions to the food pyramid, stating that he will not comply with them. His administration continues to advise adherence to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended childhood vaccine schedule.

Recently, a lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs affiliated with Children’s Health Defense alleging that the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations engaged in a racketeering scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The lawsuit claims these groups made “false and fraudulent” statements regarding the safety of the childhood immunization schedule.

I had the opportunity to speak with Stephanie Coxon of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Informed Consent (PCIC). She shared her enthusiasm about Secretary Kennedy’s visit to Harrisburg and praised his willingness to question long-standing practices, including how scientific studies are conducted. She emphasized that it is time for the public to hear both sides of the story and believes he is well positioned to lead that effort.

Ms. Coxon noted that editors of major scientific journals have publicly acknowledged that much of what is presented as “science” is, in fact, fraudulent, including fabricated studies that have been published. She stressed that fraud in scientific research is widespread and must be openly recognized and addressed.

She emphasized that the foundation of science is questioning. Anytime someone insists that a topic cannot be questioned, she said, it should raise red flags for everyone. Science is never settled; it is constantly evolving. She cited handwashing as an example—once dismissed as a fringe or conspiratorial idea; it was later proven to be a fundamental practice in preventing the spread of disease.

She shared that Secretary Kennedy has been working with Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, a molecular biologist who has performed research design work for the National Institutes of Health, to help ensure accuracy in the information being presented. She urged people to research both sides of the issue, emphasizing the importance of informed inquiry over propaganda.

Stephanie explained that PCIC’s goal is for medical freedom and for everyone to have all sides of the information. If an individual wants vaccines, then no one should be able to prevent that. However, if a person does not want to get vaccines, then one should have the right to go to the doctor and be able to say, “No, thank you.” It is about freedom as well as knowing the risks of reactions including possible death which no one seems to be talking about.

Stepanie shared her own personal story of how her son suffered a vaccine injury following an MMR injection including febrile seizures, feeding difficulties and tremors. This experience led her on a quest for accurate and apparent information as well as empowering and helping others in similar situations. She expressed that despite the pain of having her son suffer from a vaccine injury, God has used this trial for good in that she has now been able to help many others. She shared that people have said some nasty things about her and to her, however, she feels it is all worth it to save even one child.

Prior to Secretary Kennedy’s speech, several Pennsylvania Representatives and Senators shared about their work on bills to improve the health of Pennsylvanians. In addition, they shared on the work that has been done to eliminate wasteful spending and fraud in the welfare and Medicaid systems. Between 2019 and 2023 there were twenty nine hundred criminal complaints of welfare fraud filed totaling more than fifteen million dollars owed in restitution demonstrating the need for better oversight.  In addition, they touched on the changes to eligibility for government benefits which should ensure that benefits go to only those who truly qualify.

The crowd erupted in applause when Secretary Kennedy was introduced. As he began speaking, there was an older man in the crowd loudly heckling him who was then swiftly escorted out of the gathering by the police. Secretary Kennedy expressed that Americans pay two to three times the amount that Europeans pay for health care yet have the worst outcomes in the developed world with the highest chronic disease and our children are getting sicker by the day. He reported that this comes from bad policy choices leading from a health care system to a sick care system incentivizing sickness.

He shared the following statistics: 90% of today’s healthcare spending goes to treat chronic disease which are diet preventable or diet induced. More than 70% of adults are overweight or obese, and one-third have diabetes. One out of three children are diabetic or pre-diabetic. 77% of American youth cannot qualify for military service.

He said the administration wants a focus on health long before someone enters a hospital. This transformation begins with honesty, with gold standard science, and transparency. And it begins with the courage to challenge all of the entrenched interests and systems and proxies that profit from disease.

He stated that the pharmaceutical companies are raking in profits while families struggle to pay medical bills, and children face demoralizing and expensive futures struggling with crippling chronic diseases. A healthy child has a thousand dreams. A sick child only has one. A majority of American children today are focused on just having a single day without pain, without suffering, without wrestling or struggling with chronic disease.

President Trump wants to end the chronic disease epidemic and restore the American dream for the next generation of kids. In this cause he is dismantling the old system and erecting a new one built on common sense, technological efficiency, and affordability.

He spoke about the administration’s goal of dramatically lowering drug prices, pointing out that European countries pay far less than Americans for the same medications. He stated that the administration has reached agreements with 16 of the 17 major pharmaceutical companies to significantly reduce costs.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining innovation while lowering prices, explaining that President Trump’s adept use of tariffs has forced European nations to pay more for American-made drugs. Under this approach, he said, Americans will pay no more than the lowest price paid in Europe.

He said insurance companies will no longer be allowed to hide prices or coverage details. The Great American Health Care Plan returns power to patients by giving Americans the freedom to choose their own insurance. It requires insurers to clearly post prices and coverage in plain English and holds any provider or insurer accepting Medicaid or Medicare to the same transparency standards.

He described plans for patients to be able to easily access their medical records from their cell phones. He stated that President Trump wants every person to be the CEO of their own health.  Under this new system, doctors will begin to gain their independence and patients their dignity and the costs will come down.

He stated that during his childhood, America had the healthiest children in the world but now has the sickest battling a range of issues from food allergies to autoimmune disorders. This is why the Trump administration is changing course. Earlier this month, the USDA Secretary (Secretary Rollins) and Secretary Kennedy released the new dietary guidelines for food. These guidelines represent a dramatic break from the past.

Secretary Kennedy stated that past dietary guidelines were not developed with public health or sound science as the priority but instead were shaped by politicized science driven by large food-processing corporations that had captured the FDA. He said this led to processed foods being elevated in the American diet, with consequences that are now evident across an entire generation.

He went on to say the administration is cutting through red tape and urging Americans to return to eating real food. According to Kennedy, diets centered on meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can transform the nation’s health. He said these changes will affect what is served in the military, in VA hospitals, and in school lunch programs.

He added that programs including Head Start, WIC, school lunches, SNAP, and tribal nutrition programs will now prioritize real food. Any retailer accepting food assistance benefits, he said, will be required to offer real food options—driving market demand and making healthier food more affordable for all Americans.

He went on to share that HHS is working to make safe and affordable infant formula available to American mothers. The department is conducting the most comprehensive studies ever on contaminants such as cadmium, mercury, lead, and PFAS. They are also revising nutrient recommendations and developing formula designed to be as close to mother’s milk as possible, supporting brain development, healthy growth, and proper immune system function.

He announced plans to eliminate food dyes entirely, noting that three were removed last year, and six more will be phased out this year. He said the FDA has already fast-tracked the approval of vegetable-based alternatives.

He explained that the FDA is on track to release a record number of breakthrough treatments. Further, he explained that there is a return to gold-standard treatment and research as to the root causes of disease as well as the over medicalization of our children. In addition, they are confronting the issue of screen time.

He further shared that under President Trump’s leadership they are pumping fifty billion dollars over five years into the rural health system transformation program in all different states. The intent is to rebuild the rural health system, retain the best doctors, nurses, and health care providers. Through the use of AI, better diagnosis and care will be provided.

Secretary Kennedy explained that the Take Back Your Health tour is about telling the truth and recognizing the bold leadership of legislators advancing the MAHA agenda nationwide. It’s about accountability—and about putting children back at the center of American health care, where they belong. He emphasized that we cannot accept a future where chronic disease is the norm. He thanked President Trump and the administration for their support, saying that together, we will make America healthy again.

The statistics are alarming, and the suffering of children in this country is heartbreaking. For years, many of us—including myself—have pleaded for and encouraged access to affordable whole, healthy foods. My own son has struggled with a host of health issues that I firmly believe would not be as severe if we had access to affordable cleaner, unadulterated food.

I am bewildered—but not entirely surprised—by the negativity and backlash surrounding Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration’s rollout of healthy, whole food nutritional guidelines and their transparent, common-sense approach to vaccines. It seems that no matter what steps this administration takes, their efforts and successes are often cast in a negative and often evil light. Typical of the forces of evil, yet it is clear that God is working through President Trump and his administration. Decades of prior policies have not improved health outcomes and, in many cases, have worsened them. I applaud Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration for these bold, lifesaving changes.

As believers, God calls us to treat our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, it says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself…”

Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and using basic common sense, eating the natural, whole, and unadulterated foods God created demonstrates wisdom and discernment. When used honestly and interpreted correctly, science regularly confirms what God’s Word has revealed all along—about history, the universe, our world, and our bodies. God does not want us weak or sick when He has called us to do His work.

May we strive to honor Him in all we do and say—including what we eat, drink, and put into our bodies. Thank God also for advances in medicine for the treatment of disease. Let us stand with and pray for Secretary Kennedy, the Trump administration, Stephanie Coxon (PCIC) and our local officials who are championing real food, informed consent, and medical transparency.

Share your prayers for Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration below.

April Walker is a new contributor to Intercessors for America and is involved in the Pennsylvania state prayer group.